In the related art, for example, a vehicle sun roof apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2549422 (Reference 1) (a so-called outer slide sun roof) is known. In a fully-closed state of a slide panel (a movable panel), this apparatus restricts the movement of the slide panel specifically in the vertical direction more than necessary by a robust guide rail secured to a housing mounted on a vehicle body. Therefore, granted that a vehicle rolls (rolls over) by an accident, the slide panel is prevented from being collapsed easily inward by an external force and forming a space in a ceiling of the vehicle or a rear portion of the slide panel from caving inward of the vehicle. Even when the vehicle bounds significantly and the head or the like of an occupant pushes the slide panel upward, the slid panel cannot come apart outward easily. In addition, since a groove for the existing guide rail is utilized and a very simple structure in which a pin projecting from a lever is fitted into the groove is employed in order to secure the fully-closed state of the slide panel, a head clearance may be secured correspondingly, the close nature is improved, and the erroneous operation is eliminated.
When the slide panel is transferred from the tilt-up state to the fully-closed state, for example, at the time of high-speed traveling of the vehicle, if the slide panel flip-flops by the influence of the air resistance, the slide panel may be hard to be introduced into the fully-closed state. However, in the vehicle sun roof apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2549422 (Reference 1), introduction of the slide panel into the fully-closed state in such circumstances is not described.
A need thus exists for a vehicle sun roof apparatus which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.